It has nearly been a month since the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks in the biggest blockbuster deal of the NBA trade deadline. And though Porzingis hasn't talked about the whole situation yet, he did talk about wanting to get back on the court.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian is still working his way back to game action, and he has been seen down in Dallas working on his jumper and post moves with trainers as his rehab continues. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has said that Porzingis won't be suiting up as the regualr season comes to a close, but that doesn't mean the All-Star doesn't think he is ready to go.
"I feel healthy, I feel great," Porzingis said at Mavericks practice on Wednesday. "I'm antsy to get back on the court as soon as possible and I know I'm ready. So we'll see, I don't know."
It has been a long season for Porzingis, as he has been limited to watching the Knicks and now Mavericks from the bench. But, being a natural competitor at heart, Porzingis has found a way to keep his winning drive going.
Video games.
"I started playing some video games just to compete with somebody, you know," he said. "I'm so bored. That's the thing I missed the most is the competition and talking some smack. Just being out there and kicking some ass. That's what I miss the most. So it's coming back soon."
This practice interview came a day after Porzingis threw a little shade at the Knicks while describing how the Mavs' organization is much more stable than that in New York.
"There's a culture. You can feel that," Porzingis said. "Guys like Dirk (Nowitzki,) like JJ (Barea,)they've built that culture and they're a really important part of this organization. Just seeing all those great personalities being in this organization, being a part of this culture, makes me want to be a part of it."